Allerdale Borough Council has been working with Cumbria County Council and other partners including town councils and local business groups to draw up plans for each town. The measures being introduced are all designed to help people observe social distancing and remind people of other ways to stay safe when out and about. 

From Monday 15 June, people will start to see these measures being introduced and will include barriers, extra signage and stencils on pavements. Government guidance advises that some of the measures may need to stay in place for some time.    

Some specific measures are: 

• Widening of the right-hand pavement on Cockermouth’s Station Street (as looking up from Main Street) with barriers in the road. Parking will continue to be allowed on the other side of the street, with one bay set-aside for local shops to use for loading. People are being asked to keep this bay clear for loading-only so that local businesses can continue to receive deliveries.  
• A pedestrian one-way system is being introduced on the pavements on Workington’s Murray Road. To ensure the safety of everyone, drivers are asked to take particular care when using this road and pedestrians are asked to cross at crossing points along the street.  

The council is also reopening its toilets from Monday though, to keep users and staff safe, the number of people able to use the facilities at any one time will be reduced. 

Cllr Mike Johnson, deputy leader of Allerdale Borough Council, said:

“Whilst we want people to return to our town centres and shops and businesses to reopen, we also want them to do so safely and help reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus.  

"Our towns and centres will start to look a bit different with new signage, barriers and other measures to improve social distancing on paths. I’d ask people to act sensibly and observe any new rules so that everyone can stay safe when out and about. We’ll obviously keep these under review and continue to work with partners to see if any new measures need to be introduced, or we need to change the things we have in place.” 

The council’s car parks remain open with users advised to use the MiPermit mobile-phone app to pay where possible, as this means they do not have to interact with the payment machines which are only taking card payments. The advantages of using the MiPermit app is that users can pay for extra parking if they find they need to stay longer than originally thought. They can also get a reminder when their parking is due to expire. More details can be found on the council’s website: https://www.allerdale.gov.uk/en/parking/parking-charges-and-ways-pay/ .

Car parks remain free for key workers – more information is on the council’s website. The multi-story car park in Workington will remain closed for the time being. 

The council’s guide with advice for local businesses on reopening safely, has also been updated since it was initially launched a few weeks ago as advise from the government is released. The guide, which can be found on the council’s website, includes advice on social distancing rules, risk assessments, ensuring water supplies are safe from diseases like legionella and food safety. More details can be found at: https://www.allerdale.gov.uk/en/coronavirus/reopening-guidance/ 

The page also includes a downloadable poster which businesses can use to show what measures they have introduced to reassure customers and staff.

Businesses may also have to restart waste collections as they reopen. Customers are encouraged to speak to email the trade waste team on trade.waste@allerdale.gov.uk to arrange a quote and collection.

The project supporting the safe reopening of high streets is receiving funding from the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Department for Communities and Local Government.